How to De-stress Best Based on Your Personality!

By: Elisabeth Henderson
Estimated Completion Time
6 min
How to De-stress Best Based on Your Personality!
Image: Tom Werner / DigitalVision / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Humans need stress in order to react to a dangerous situation appropriately. When a hiker rounds a corner and comes face to face with a grizzly bear, adrenaline and cortisol flood the body, triggering the “fight or flight" response that will give the hiker the fuel and clarity they need to escape or to turn and face the bear. The heart rate speeds up, breath quickens, blood pressure rises and senses sharpen to tune in to the present emergency. People describe a haunting clarity and sometimes a sense of slow-motion that attend crisis situations. 

The problem with the stress response comes in when people — most people in contemporary American culture — experience the symptoms of stress on a daily basis, due to anxiety brought on by work, finances, relationships, trauma or any myriad of stress-inducing phenomena that fill our daily lives. When stress doesn’t leave the body, it can cause intense anxiety, depression and problems with immunity, cardiovascular and digestive systems, and, of course, sleep. 

No one wants to be stressed, yet it seems that these days, everyone complains about being stressed out. A recent Gallup poll found that eight in ten Americans reported being frequently or sometimes affected by stress. So, what can people do to avoid the problem of stress that just won’t leave them alone? 

Many de-stressing strategies have become so familiar that they lose their appeal. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of strategies you may not have tried before, which may just be the cure you’ve been looking for! Let’s find out which method will reduce the stress experienced by your particular personality! 

tight smile
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When work starts getting under your skin, what is the first sign that you’re getting stressed?
My whole body tenses up.
My mind won’t stop churning.
My breathing becomes shallow.
I can’t tear myself from social media.
Couple watch tv
Katrina Wittkamp / DigitalVision / Getty Images
If you are home watching TV with your partner, what flashes through your mind?
A bad interaction I had with a co-worker
My list of items I need to finish at work
A general feeling of anxiety
Something an acquaintance said on my feed
Woman solo hike
Maya Karkalicheva / Moment / Getty Images
What is an experience you can remember where you felt completely at ease in your body and mind?
Hiking a mountain
Working on a friend’s garden
A meditation class
Being completely absorbed in a book

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Forest hike
Enrique Díaz / 7cero / Moment / Getty Images
When you are feeling completely overwhelmed with the tasks you need to complete, what is the one thing that can make you smile?
Viral cat videos
A piece of artwork
The beauty of nature
My best friend’s absurdity
Use smartphone
RUNSTUDIO / Moment / Getty Images
What reasons do you use to justify the amount of time you spend on social media?
I need to stay in touch with friends.
It’s for my business.
I need to be up to date on current events.
I should tell people what I’ve been up to.
Design agency
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Which of these factors do you associate with stress most regularly?
Relationships
Work
Religion
People’s expectations

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Woman and dog
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Who do you turn to for commiseration when you start feeling totally overwhelmed?
My pets
My co-workers
My partner
My friends
Woman walk dog
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How often do you get out for a walk?
Once a week
Once a month
Daily
A few times a season
Woman thinking
Thomas Barwick / DigitalVision / Getty Images
If your friend told you they were upset with you about something you said, how would you cope?
I’d try to ignore how I felt and just let it blow over.
I’d probably burrow into my work and push it aside.
I’d obsess about it and figure out what to say.
I’d stalk them on social media and try to figure out what was going on.

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Woman meditate
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Do you have any spiritual responses for stress that helps you to feel more relaxed?
I’ve practiced meditation before and was surprised how much it did for me.
I’m not really a spiritual person.
I’m pretty finished with religion.
I pray, and that sometimes gives me relief.
Woman walk trail
Jordan Siemens / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Which of these experiences would you associate with your work life?
Walking a long path
Walking across hot coals
Standing in a crowded room
Trying to listen when everyone is talking
Mom and daughter
Portra / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Whose approval are you looking for most deeply?
My partner
My boss
My family
My peers

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Using smartphone
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How do you feel when you have to set down your phone at the end of the day?
Ready to put it down
Worried I’ll miss something
Oddly conflicted
It’s physically painful.
White sandy beach
Levente Bodo / Moment / Getty Images
If you could go anywhere to be in your happy place, where would you go?
A meditation center in Ireland
A white sandy beach
My garden
Paris
Yoga
Eva-Katalin / E+ / Getty Images
Which technique have you tried to de-stress that has not worked for you?
Hot yoga
Meditation
Exercise regimen
Breathing exercises

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Parisian breakfast
Malcolm P Chapman / Moment / Getty Images
Which culture strikes you as dealing the best with stress?
English
American
French
Mexican
Couple kayak
Colin Anderson Productions pty ltd / DigitalVision / Getty Images
If you are planning a vacation for your family as a way to get away from the pressures of life, which travel agency would you choose?
Kayaking adventures
Disney cruise
European walking tour
Foodie adventures
Woman nap couch
Zing Images / DigitalVision / Getty Images
If you are super stressed and someone gives you a pillow, how can you best use it?
Cuddle up for a sleep
Punch it
Hide my face in it
Jump on it

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Church
Roberto Moiola / Sysaworld / Moment / Getty Images
What place does religion have in your strategies for stress management?
I’m interested in Eastern religious approaches
If I’m at my wits end, I may find my way into a church.
I used to think religion would help me, but now I think it’s fake.
My faith plays a strong role in how I cope.
Women and dogs
Kohei Hara / DigitalVision / Getty Images
How might you interact with animals as a way to fight anxiety?
When I’m feeling down, my pets know it, and they give me extra love.
I try to avoid animals as a general rule.
I wouldn’t mind coming across a pet therapy session.
I pet the neighborhood cats.
Woman drive
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How do you experience stress when you are driving?
I often feel like other people are taking out their stress on me.
I definitely let out my stress in the form of road rage.
I feel anxious and in danger on the road.
I just turn my music up loud and zone out.

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Open water swim
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If you were to imagine a Rorschach painting of what your stress looks like, how might you describe it?
A anthill
An icy mountain peak
An abyss
An ocean
Presentation
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Which of the following most closely resembles a stress dream you’d be likely to have?
I’m in a crowd at a party and I realize I’m naked.
I’m standing in front of conference room full of people, and I don’t have my presentation.
I’m all alone in a dark wood.
I’m at the center of a dance stage, and everyone is pointing at me and laughing.
Woman dance at home
FG Trade / E+ / Getty Images
What musical experience do you turn to when you’ve had a particularly rough week?
Crank up the music and dance
Turn the music up loud and drive fast
Listen to quiet, instrumental music and quiet down
Turn up the tunes and sing along

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Rice field at night
Dulyanut Swdp / Moment / Getty Images
If your anxiety were a landscape, what would it look like?
A long, winding road up a mountain
An endless, flat expanse of wheat
A river snaking through a valley
Sand dunes as far as the eye can see
Co-workers
10'000 Hours / DigitalVision / Getty Images
If you are stressed out about a work project, how does it impact how you interact with co-workers?
I’ll procrastinate by hanging out by the coffee machine.
I’ll blow them off so they’ll leave me alone.
I’m likely to ask someone to help me.
I just pretend I’ve got it under control and freak out at home.
Teamwork
Thomas Barwick / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Under what circumstances would you ask for help on a big project?
If I really felt in over my head
I never would because it shows weakness.
If I thought someone could add an interesting perspective
If I thought someone could tell I was really in trouble

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Cross fit
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What is your exercise go-to for stress relief?
A long run
Flipping channels
A walk in the woods
Cross-fit
Blood pressure
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What kind of art could you imagine may lower your blood pressure?
Finger painting
Pottery
Sketching
Collage
Woman breathe
Dougal Waters / DigitalVision / Getty Images
What do you think the most important reason is for lowering your stress level?
Keeping healthy relationships
Maintaining my health
Being truly present in life
Keeping my energy up

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